Splitting up of mineral oils



Patented Oct. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES moment MELAMID, or BERLIN-ZEHLENDOBF, GERMANY SPLITTING UP OF MINERAL OILS No Drawing. Application filed March 12, 1925, Serial No. 15,137, and in Germany March 22, 1924.

This invention refers broadly to improvements in the splitting up of mineral oils, tar oils and of the raw material, furnishing the same, such as crude oil, crude tar and the like with a view of obtaining lower boiling hydrocarbon-compounds vtherefrom. In the splitting decomposition of highly boiling oils, and in particular of oils containing very highly boiling constituents of free carbon,

such as coal tar, brown-coal tar and the like,

it has been found to be uneconomical to effect a complete splitting-up of the raw material, in view of the fact that with the high temperatures required for this purpose the oils are liable to be decomposed with separation of carbon, thereby causing choking up of the apparatus and other inconveniences. It has, therefore, been found to be advantageous to only split up the lighter oils at a 2 comparatively low temperature, while the unsplit portion is allowed to run ofl continuously.

. The process is preferably carried out in the presence of hydrogen or of gasescontaining hydrogen, and with the utilization of a contact body which is liquefied at the temperature of reaction of which may mentlon asinstances, tin, bismuth, antlmony, though I am not limited to these metals for the carrying out of the process of my invention, though I prefer to use them on account of the fact that they do not form carbides, and are therefore not liable to cause liberation of carbon. By this means the advantage is obtained that the lighter oils are split without E wample of the carry mg out of the process.100 kilograms of tar are atomized by a nozzle or the like and by means of gases, as for instance, hydrogen or gases containing hydrogen, and are introduced in the atomized' condition'into a vessel containing a liquid contact substance,'such as tin, bismuth or antimony; thetemperature is kept at about 300 to 400 degrees centigrade. The oil which has not been split up under these conditions is caused to be discharged continuously by any suitable device.

It should, of course, be understood that the invention is not restricted to this particular exemplification, and that it may be modified to better adapt it to varying conditions and within the scope andspirit of the appended claim.

I claim I j The process of treating and splitting up coal tars containing high boiling constituents and lighter oils, whicholighter oils are capable of being split up at a comparatively lowtemperature in order to obtain lower boiling hydrocarbon compounds therefrom, consisting in atomizin'g said tars with a hydrogen containing gas into a zone containinga liquid metallic catalyst to contact with said catalyst at a temperature approximately 300 to 400 degrees centigrade, thereby efiecting vaporization and cracking of the lighter oils, continuously withdrawing from said zone the unvaporized high boiling constituents and separately removing the gaseous products of the cracking. 1

DR. MICHAEL 'MELAMID. 

